Fences
by yuugiri
Summary: She had always thought that a woman in love was one of the scariest creatures in the world. One, because they would always rationalize that anything they did for love was forgivable because it was 'for love'. And two, whatever they did for love would always be in the extremes. It was her mother who taught her this, once upon a time. Kiba planned on teaching her otherwise. HinaKiba
1. Chapter 1

**Fences**

* * *

**I**

* * *

She had always thought that a woman in love was one of the scariest creatures in the world. One, because they would always rationalize that anything they did for love was forgivable because it was, well, _'for love'_. And two, whatever they did for love would always be in the extremes. It was her mother who taught her this, once upon a time. She didn't understand why she didn't remember this fact when she first fell in love with a boy named Uzumaki Naruto. But then again, what would a girl of eight know about love?

Maybe nothing?

Maybe everything…

Did it even matter?

But she hadn't been scary as a woman in love. She hadn't tried anything daring and blamed it on her feelings. And she had never been extreme. The most extreme she had ever done in her life was tell him she loved him. She had never expected an answer from him. Maybe her timing had been off. Maybe he never _had _an answer. Maybe she didn't even need one. Maybe she had already known.

Or maybe she had never really _cared_. Telling him how she felt had been enough for her. Years of loving him from afar had finally caught up to her.

And so when Haruno Sakura became Uzumaki Sakura on the eighteenth of May when they were twenty-tree, seven years after the war, everything came into perspective.

It was strange how one word, one look, one smile, could change someone's life three-hundred-sixty degrees. She had spent her life running after him, desperately trying to catch up, to walk beside, and to overtake. Somewhere along the way she had stumbled and fallen flat on her face. Sometimes she thought she had tried too hard. Most of the time she thought she hadn't tried hard enough.

But of course, as with many things in this world, life went on for her. It did little for her self-esteem, though. There was no mistaking it; she was happy for Naruto and Sakura. Naruto deserved happiness after all he had been through. But every time she thought about it, she would ask herself: _"What about me?"_

What _about _her? What about the Hyuuga heir that was not the Hyuuga heir? What about the Hyuuga who thought that by trying her best, she would gain?

She didn't really know. After the war and the treaty signed between the five Villages and the five countries for the Allied Nations, most of the shinobi had been experiencing post-war blues; they didn't have much of an idea what to do with themselves.

Of course, the occasional mission came and went. They concerned mostly D rank to B rank missions but gone were the tasks that involved politics and schemes between hidden villages.

And Hinata found purpose in many different things, most of the time in the Academy as a teacher.

She found solace in teaching – in feeling, if not loved, then at least _needed_. A teaching job was something she had asked from Tsunade-sama herself, and something she was given. The Hokage never asked her for reasons why she wanted the job. Hinata thought the woman already knew. Or maybe she, too, didn't care.

At twenty-one, Team Kurenai had fallen apart almost naturally. Aburame Shino had started training as the Heir of his clan when his father thought he had gotten too old for clan affairs. At first Shino had made time in the weekends to meet up with Hinata, but that was until his marriage was arranged to a woman from a fellow insect whisperer from the Grass. Although she had always believed Shino to be somewhat indifferent when it came to women, he had shown quite an interest to his betrothed, especially since the woman knew of a certain breed of arachnids that didn't live in the Land of Fire. The woman having a very pretty face did not hurt as well. And weekends with Shino were no more.

And then there was Kiba.

The Inuzuka had been sent off to the Earth country for research by the age of twenty-three. He was more than happy to study about another species of canines and their breeding habits in Iwa.

He had been gone for two years.

And Hinata… Hinata was alone.

There was not Shino. There was no Kiba. And there was no Naruto.

Only Hinata.

That was, until she turned twenty-five, when Inuzuka Kiba came home to Konoha with Akamaru, and two small puppies tucked under his arms.

0

Inuzuka Kiba had always been rough around the edges. But after two years of not seeing him, Hinata thought he had… _changed_. Wilder. Stronger. More of a man than a boy.

He had grown taller. Bulkier. That mess of dark hair on his head had grown relatively, enough to brush the collar of his animal-skin jacket, enough to cover those sharp eyes of his and frame the defining red marks on his cheeks. Hinata wondered how one could change so much but still seem the same to her eyes, especially when he smiled.

He smiled like he always did, like he was smirking. As if he knew a secret no one else knew. He would show off his canines with a lopsided grin, two of his forefingers saluting from the outer end of his eyebrow.

He did just that when he barged in on her in one of her classes that day, as if disrupting classes came naturally for him. He had a big box of candy under one arm. The children went wild over him. It was his plan. He dropped the box in one corner of the room and took the opportunity to approach Hinata with the children distracted.

Hinata had a chalk in her right hand. She was in the middle of writing tomorrow's assignment just before Kiba came to disturb her. She was a bit annoyed but couldn't help but be happy at the sight of him. Two years away from the village did him good; it could have been the water at Iwa. She wouldn't know. He was tanner, for some weird reason. It suited him.

"I heard," was what he said. No preambles as he propped his hip against Hinata's desk.

Hinata swallowed hard as she tried not to stare at him. It was a hard task. He had the most tantalizing gaze. _Searching_. Curiously searching her face. He reminded Hinata of a wolf. It seemed he had turned more animal than human while she wasn't paying attention. He could probably smell her unease. She finally managed to look away.

"Welcome back, Kiba," was what she said, busying herself with arranging the chalk on the blackboard ledge in one straight line. "You look… "

_Different_.

"You look… well."

That had him laughing. "Really? I met with Ino earlier. She said I look like something a cat dragged in. I was insulted."

Hinata couldn't help but smile at what he said. Trust the man to have a dog's pride. "Ino's tongue is as sharp as your bite. But I bet she was trying to compliment you. You look… _good_." She finally decided to face him again, and she wasn't surprised to find him staring at her with those eyes of his.

"And you," he said. "You look sad."

She was not taken aback by what he said. He and Shino, they were probably the only ones who could see through her like she was made out of nothing. She shrugged. "I feel absolutely fine. Thank you."

He was not convinced. "I left the Leaf three months before they got married, so I never really got to catch up on you. It must have hurt a lot."

Hinata winced. Trust Kiba to charge in tactfully with questions that normal people wouldn't be able to ask so easily. "Only for a while." A few months or so. "He's happy. She's happy. They deserve each other."

"And what do _you_ deserve?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The smirk was gone. The light in his eyes was gone.

"What do you want from me?" Hinata asked after a long silence. She could head the children laughing happily in the corner of the classroom, all of them still fussing over the sweets Kiba brought over.

The smile was back on his lips. "I don't want anything from you, Hinata. I just wanted to see you is all. To see if you're well."

"I'm well," Hinata snapped. When she realized she had just raised her voice at Kiba, she took a small step back, shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Kiba was still watching her, and the arms crossed over his chest loosened and fell on his lap. "I brought back two pups," he said suddenly. "A male and a female. Cutest little things you've ever seen."

This sudden change of conversation surprised Hinata. Kiba seldom talked about his nin dogs. "Whose pups are they?"

"Akamaru's. The mother was a beauty, one of the strongest in Iwa's nin-ken. She bore a litter of four, two months ago. We decided to split the pups." Kiba cocked his head to the right, gestured with a hand uncaringly. "Unfortunately, one of ours gave birth to her own, and Hana's got her hands full. The nursery's packed."

Hinata knew where this was going. She did not grow up with this man until they were promoted to Jounin for nothing. He was going to ask her something she was not going to be able to refuse. He always did, ever since they were children. Train with him when she wasn't feeling up to it. Take Akamaru for a walk. Those kinds of things. He did his best to push her out of her comfort zone. He was about to do so again, right now.

"Take one in for me," Kiba suddenly declared simply as if he were announcing something about the weather.

In past circumstances, she would have cowered in a corner, stuttered an excuse and get dragged into it anyway. But things have changed. Sure, she might still get dragged into whatever Kiba was tried to trick her into, but she might as well do it with pride.

She raised her chin up and met Kiba's gaze. "Because they have nowhere to go, I will say yes. And how about the other pup?"

"It stays with me. Unless, of course, you want both?" Kiba's eyebrows rose but a centimeter.

He was teasing her again. He didn't change one bit when it came to his playfulness. Ever the child.

He wanted her to baby-sit two dogs. Her father never even allowed her to have a pet hamster. Her father never allowed her much of anything. She'd had enough and right after Naruto and Sakura's wedding, she'd had enough restraining and wanted out. She had gotten a small apartment at the other side of the village, away from the Hyuuga estate. Hanabi had been so mad at her. Neji was furious. And her father… well… her father was as indifferent as ever.

Hinata swallowed hard. "I… have a yard. It's spacious and… there are two apple trees. Two. One for each of them. For… um… shade. And um… maybe a place to play around."

Kiba let out a victorious laugh, and without warning, he was pounding on one of Hinata's shoulders. Had he always had such big hands? She didn't know. Kiba hadn't been keen at touching and being touched. He was always so… _guarded_ with proximity, a trait the Inuzuka clan had in general.

Hinata rubbed her shoulder tenderly and watched Kiba wipe his nose cheekily with a thumb and for a moment, she caught a glimpse of the Kiba ten years ago. Boyish. Brash. Head-strong. He had always been very sure of himself. His confidence was still there, if not multiplied tenfold.

Hinata looked over to her students all now sitting on the floor with their own handful of candies, each had separated into their respective circle of friends, exchanging the tiny cards that came along with the sweets. They had fallen into quiet conversations between themselves. Kiba followed her gaze, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"This suits you. Teaching, I mean. It always struck me that you'd be great with kids," he said, letting his gaze linger on the blackboard, then on the far wall peppered with dozens and dozens of sketchbook papers plastered, showcasing the student's drawings.

Hinata picked at her sleeve unconsciously, shrugging. "I love it. I think I've finally found something I could actually be good at."

Kiba's eyes were instantly on her, sharp and inquiring. "You've always had the potential to be good at many things. You were just too timid to consider even trying it out. I'm kind of shocked you found the nerve to ask Tsunade-sama for this job."

Hinata bit her lower lip. He was not trying to ridicule her, she knew. She was aware that what he was saying was true. He just knew her all too well, and was blunt enough to say it. Shino would have kept it to himself. He was always the quiet supporter who stood behind her. Kiba had always been the voice for the both of them. God, she suddenly missed them both. She smiled. "I'm glad you're back. Will you be staying for good?"

Kiba nodded absently. "Yeah. I'm actually back to taking missions by tomorrow."

Hinata blinked. "Aren't you going to rest? You've just gotten back."

Kiba gave her a cheeky grin. "I don't need rest. You know me."

She _did_ know him. All too well. She gestured at him weakly. "I live on the eastern outskirts. My house is hard to find, so if you want I can drop by the Inuzuka compound and we can walk the two pups together back to – "

"That won't be necessary," Kiba cut her off.

"What, why?" Hinata asked, suddenly alert. She had a bad feeling about this. And she was right. Because before she knew what was happening, Kiba had raised his hand to his mouth and whistled between his fingers.

Her students' heads shot up at the sudden sound, and after a few seconds of silence, two puppies as small as how Akamaru had been when they were still genin came hurtling into the classroom as if being chased by rabid wolves. One had black fur, as black as night, and the other one was as white as snow. Hinata could only suppose that the white one took after Akamaru, and the black one must most definitely take after the mother.

The children went wild again. One moment they were busy trading cards and eating candy, and the next they were crowding around the two nin-ken as if it were the first time they had ever seen dogs.

Hinata's hand was instantly on her mouth as the two pups barked happily at the attention, and she could only shake her head helplessly as her students and the nin-ken started chasing each other around the room, as if their class wasn't already out of control as it was.

"The white one's the female. The black one's the male. Little beauties, aren't they?" Kiba asked as he grinned widely, looking like a proud parent watching his children. When Hinata didn't say anything, Kiba leaned down to peer at her face closely. "Are you sure about this?"

Hinata turned to face him. She jumped back when the tip of her nose brushed against his cheek, and she felt her face burn slightly. "I am," she said, fighting the urge to stutter. She wished he would step back a few inches away from her. She was not used to Kiba this close; he had always been the kind to protect his personal space. She could not believe two years could change someone so much. She couldn't even tell if the change was a good thing or a bad one. If anything, it was making her very, very uncomfortable.

Kiba whistled between his teeth as he nodded, and much to Hinata's relief he leaned back and once again crossed his arms over his chest. "They're a handful."

Hinata wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, eyed the pups that were now enjoying tummy rubs from her students. "I can handle them," she said weakly. She doubted she sounded convincing. She didn't even know if this was just pride talking. Or maybe she was just too desperate not to seem like she was being dragged into something she didn't want to do.

She jumped again when she felt something heavy land on top of her head. She looked up to see Kiba's hand resting on her head, fingers kneading through her hair. "I know you can. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think you could."

She dropped her eyes back to the floor, waited for him to remove his hand. He didn't. Instead, said hand traveled down to her shoulder, which he squeezed gently. She bit her lip as she watched those fingers so familiarly resting on the sleeve of her jacket. "I… don't have anything to feed them…" she said lamely. Her gaze shifted to the set of large feet Kiba had planted right next to hers. How had he gotten this big anyway? Did Iwa feed him things that didn't grow in Konoha?

"I'll take care of everything. What time do you get off work?"

"Uh… in two hours. Why?"

"Two hours, eh? Got it," was what he said.

Hinata looked up hastily. "What are you planning?"

"I'll get everything ready before you get home. You don't have to worry about anything." And finally the hand he had on her shoulder left. He started rolling up the sleeves of his jacket.

Hinata swallowed hard. She looked over to the puppies, right now drowning in attention from her students, then looked back at Kiba's confident face. "Y-you can't."

"Why can't I?" Kiba asked, a bit surprised.

Hinata swallowed hard. "You don't know where I live. You can wait after I finish work and – "

Kiba suddenly leaned forward, and much to her horror, nuzzled his nose at the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.

Hinata backed away, scandalized, knocking a couple of erasers from the blackboard ledge. "W-what are you doing?" she demanded.

Kiba's mouth broke into a cocky grin, flashing his sharp teeth at her mockingly. "Your scent's changed a bit in the two years we haven't met. You used to reek of tea and cream daifuku."

Hinata felt a shiver run down her spine and hurriedly bent down to pick up her fallen things. "And your point is?" she murmured.

"Right now you smell of freshly mowed grass and chamomile. I think I can find your house without even trying."

Her head shot up to look at him.

His grin broadened. "With my _eyes_ closed."

She knew she had bitten more than she could chew. It had always been so with Kiba anyway. Only now she did not have Shino to balance everything out between them. She hugged the erasers to her chest before standing up. She made sure to keep her face hidden with the curtain of her hair. "Th-their names. What are their names?" she asked.

She heard Kiba laugh quietly as he straightened beside her. Hinata couldn't help but look up at him, and was not surprised when she saw him getting ready to leave. He was always the free spirit; coming and going as he pleased. She had almost forgotten how it used to annoy her, his randomness. She wondered when she had lost her tolerance when it came to his personality.

"Their names? They don't have any. Yet." He turned back to her, reached out, patted Hinata's head roughly. "But I'm sure you can handle that by yourself, right?"

That was when Hinata started to panic. Taking care of them was one thing, but naming them… ? Naming them was like… like getting a pet on your own accord. And she was not good when it came to pets. Not really. Not at all.

"I c-c-can't name them…!" she tried to protest.

But it was too late. Kiba had already whistled to get the two pups' attention, and the next moment, he was breezing out her classroom with them on his heel. Her students crowded after them, letting out very sad goodbyes as they left.

And Hinata was lost in her own panic attack. She hurriedly pulled open her desk drawer and procured a paper bag from under the many, many scrolls she had in there. It had been two years since she had hyperventilated but she had always had a paper bag handy.

Just in case.

She was glad she had one right now.

* * *

She had expected maybe a leash on each apple tree she had in her lawn. And maybe two water bowls and food dishes for each pup. She was shocked when she found her whole front and back yard surrounded by a meter tall fence made of sturdy-looking wood. The moment she had stepped through the barrier she was not used to seeing around her house, she noticed two large kennels on each side of her fenced-in front yard, sandwiching the two tall trees in the middle. Thinking that the pups were probably somewhere lurking in her now confined house, she hurriedly closed the gate behind her and half-expected to have the nin-ken pop out of the kennels to attack her.

She braced herself for a good minute. When she was sure that nothing was coming out of the kennels, she let out a sigh of relief and allowed herself to look around her. Her house was relatively small; a one-storey house made of redwood, a living room-kitchen with two small rooms and an adjoining toilet and bath. She had gotten the place for cheap when she got a promotion as jounin teacher. She had picked it because of the possibility of making a garden out of the broad outdoors. Of course, as expected, five years had already passed but the dream of a garden had remained just that; a dream. Everything just flew out the window after Naruto.

_Before Naruto. After Naruto_. When had she started defining the happenings in her life like this anyway?

She slowly made her way towards her front door and screamed bloody murder when Kiba suddenly dropped from the roof in front of her. He landed on all fours and grinned up at her mischievously.

Hinata fought the urge to faint then and there. "Wh-what were you doing up there?"

"Waiting for you," Kiba said as he stood up and straightened his jacket. "You said two hours. You're late."

Hinata gaped at him in disbelief, gesturing at the fence that wasn't there this morning. "How on earth did you do this?" There weren't any signs of dirt or sweat on him at all.

Kiba shrugged. "Yamato-san lent me a hand. It took him about, what, two seconds? Waiting for you was the hard part. How as work?"

Hinata blinked at him, dazed that he could ask such a normal question after having renovated her house without asking for her permission. She frowned. "It took me forever to calm my class after you left…" she accused.

Kiba scratched his mane of dark hair, at the very least having the decency to look apologetic. "Ah, sorry about that. I had to admit, I guess suddenly bringing them there was a bit of overkill."

Hinata bit her lower lip before sighing. Water under the bridge. And this was Kiba. There was no use in getting mad at him when he was obviously apologizing. She reached past him to stuff the key to her front door. "It's all right." She pushed the door open, then looked up at Kiba. He was watching her warily. "Where are they?"

"Still at my house," he said carefully. "They need their shots and Hana's taking care of it. I'll bring them over tonight. If that's okay."

Hinata felt her left eye twitch involuntarily. _Now _he asks her after building a fence and two kennels in her property. Given she had agreed to take them in, but she didn't expect it to seem so… _permanent_. Maybe until the Inuzuka nursery opened up to hold them? But… not _this_. She gave her lawn a once-over before shaking her head. "Of course it's okay. You know I can't say no to you." It had always been like that since they were young. So maybe nothing's changed, really. She hesitated before gesturing at him. "Would you like to come in?"

Kiba blinked, looking evidently surprised at the invitation. His sharp eyes flickered to her hand on the doorknob, then at her face. He smiled and answered her invitation with a question. "What names are you planning on giving them?"

Hinata jumped slightly at the question. She had run a few names through her head on the way home but couldn't think of anything remotely original and suiting for them. She coughed. "Shio and Koshio."

Kiba was laughing instantly. "Salt and Pepper?"

Hinata's hand tightened around the doorknob, insulted. "It was the only thing I could come up with."

Kiba shook his head. "No. I like it. Shio and Koshio it is." And after saying this, he pushed past Hinata and into her living room without so much as saying 'boo'.

"Hey…! Wait!" Hinata hurried after him.

She found him rummaging through her refrigerator.

"Wow, you still keep things neat and tidy," he said, procuring a carton of milk, surprisingly checking the label for its expiration date.

Hinata deposited her bag on the lone couch in her living room and stood rod-straight in the middle of her floor rug. She was readying herself to reprimand Kiba if he ever decided to drink straight from the carton. That was why she was surprised when he walked over to the sink and plucked a glass from her open cupboard.

Hinata watched him move and marveled at how… _tall _he had become. Now that she was able to look at him without worrying about fainting, she could now see that he was a good head and shoulders taller than she was. And while most Inuzukas valued speed more than strength, it was strange to see him gain muscle mass in places she hadn't thought he could gain.

His back was broader, and his leg muscles were evident on his fairly snug pants.

Kiba took this opportunity to face her, milk in mid-pour. "You smell agitated."

Hinata jumped, feeling her face growing warm. Although she was sure that it had nothing to do with the fact that she had been ogling his backside. "Stop smelling me," she ordered.

Kiba grinned. "I can't help it. I can smell you a mile away. And I mean that as a compliment."

Strangely enough, it sounded like a compliment. She didn't even know why she was getting flustered. Looking away, she said, "You've grown."

Kiba could only rub his nose with a thumb. "And you. You haven't grown a centimeter." He nodded towards her, the glass of milk momentarily forgotten. "Your hair's longer. You haven't cut it since I left, have you?"

Hinata's hand unconsciously reached up to touch her hair. This was not true. She hadn't cut her hair since Naruto married Sakura. Of course, she did not feel like she was entitled to tell him _that_. "You can say that, I guess. It's never really bothered me much. And it's easier to tie it into a bun."

"Hm," Kiba said, leaning forward on her bar counter and eyeing her intently. "It suits you. But then again, short hair wasn't so bad on you, either."

The hand touching her hair dropped to her side, and she busied herself with shuffling her feet uncomfortably. "It's just hair."

"Yeah, but," Kiba snorted before raising the glass of milk to his mouth. "It's _your _hair. And it's pretty."

Hinata had never been really good at compliments, and she knew that Kiba knew this weakness of hers. He was making fun of her. And because she was Hinata, she couldn't even tell him to cut it out. Kiba was right; she hadn't changed at all since they were young. She tried to cover her blushing face by wiping at her cheek with the back of her hand. She could still feel Kiba's eyes on her, though.

"Hinata," he said, trying to get her attention.

She forced herself to look at him.

He grinned. "Thanks for this. Those pups are grateful you're giving them a home."

Hinata bit her lower lip before saying, "Only until you find a place for them in the Inuzuka compound."

He nodded. "I know. But I'm still glad you're doing this."

She could not help but return his smile. "It's nothing."

Little did she know that she had just been sucked into a whirlpool that would change her life forever.

* * *

She was inexperienced when it came to pets, and so she had prepared herself, just in case, of the possible horrors Shio and Koshio could bring her. That was why when it turned out that the two nin-ken pups were perfect angels, she found herself terribly unsettled. Kiba had brought them over before the sun went down, and they had stayed in their respective kennels when she asked nicely for them to retire for the night. She had been exposed to several of Kiba's nin-ken, mostly Akamaru, and she had been fully aware that they were capable of understanding human speech, but she didn't expect for them to listen to people outside of the clan. When she told Kiba this, he had pretended to act insulted because she had assumed that. Of course she had said sorry, and he had brushed away her apology as if it were nothing.

True to his word, they obeyed even without Kiba. And he was seldom around. He came to visit when he could, most of those visits happened after missions and sometimes before them.

And maybe it was because of the presence of Shio and Koshio that she had started spending more time outside, and she had found herself working on the garden she had always wanted during her free time. This was something she thought to be a great opportunity.

As the weeks dragged on, though, she couldn't help but realize the pups grew even faster than her flowers. She had been very concerned about this, since the growth spurt happened when Kiba had been away for a whole month on a mission concerning some of the nin-ken they had donated to the Hidden Grass. She had started thinking that maybe she had made a mistake with their vitamins; there were a lot of them to go around. Or could it be she had miscalculated the grams of feed to be mixed for each one? Kiba did say something concerning the difference between feed for male and female nin dogs…

She had never really gotten to figure the cause of their sudden growth, and by the end of October, they had grown double in size. She did not remember Akamaru growing this big until he had turned a year old, but she had tried to accommodate their increased appetite to play. They were very well-behaved and did as they were told, and so bringing them to the meadow behind her house every day to let them run freely on their own was never a problem for her. She would work in her garden without worry and they would be back before dark, because this was what she told them.

It was one of those lazy evenings on her day-off did Kiba finally come home to the Leaf. He was filthy from the road, and the heavy rucksack was still present on his back. She was sitting on the patio with Shio in front of her, getting her coat brushed when Kiba came jumping over her wooden fence and landing on all fours right on top of her gardenias. She could only sigh in resignation as she watched Kiba trample on her flowers as he straightened up to stand. Then, as if realizing for the first time that he had just murdered her plants, grinned sheepishly while scratching his head. "Yo, sorry about that," he said as Shio gave a happy bark and hurried over to Kiba. Koshio, who had started to show a calmer personality of the two, took Shio's place in front of Hinata to get his own dark coat brushed.

Hinata held back the slight annoyance that threatened to bubble up her gut from the destruction of her precious gardenias. She ran a hand through Koshio's fur. "Welcome home. You look horrible."

"Thanks. I stink, too," Kiba said, laughing as he bent down to scratch Shio behind her ears. "They've grown."

"About that," Hinata said uncertainly, giving Koshio an absent-minded pat before standing up to approach Kiba. "I followed your instructions to the tee, but I don't know how they could have grown this huge in a month."

Kiba did not look at all surprised. "Nin ken from Iwa are generally larger than those of Konoha, and to tell you honestly it's also my first time to know that they mature faster than ours. The mother was about a head taller than Akamaru when sitting. Don't worry. I think this is normal."

A bit relieved, she tucked a piece of unruly hair behind an ear. "That's good to hear." Then after a while, asked, "How are you?"

Kiba pushed Shio over and started to rub her belly lovingly. He kept his eyes on Hinata. "Tired, but okay. By the way, I saw Shino earlier. He wanted me to give you this." He reached his hand into his jacket pocket and retrieved a slightly crumpled lavender card. _Lavender_. It was a color Hinata had never even dared associate with Shino.

She made her way towards Kiba, squatted in front of him and took the card. Somehow she was not surprised to discover it was a wedding invitation. She didn't know why her heart felt like it was sinking as she fingered the velvety card gingerly. It had been a while since she had actually met with Shino. The last time she'd seen him was when he introduced to her his fiancée.

Her name was Aomori Chisato of the Grass. She was a petite, cheerful jounin with a pretty face and a nice smile, and Hinata had thought her to be perfect for Shino. Arranged marriages had become somewhat of a fad between Villages since the treaty, but despite this, Shino and Chisato seemed to have hit it off wonderfully, having a lot in common regarding their jutsu and hobbies. Another plus factor was that Chisato actually thought Shino's weird way of talking _'adorable'_.

"You don't look too happy," Kiba said bluntly.

Hinata paused, looked up at him. "I'm happy. Shino must be excited." She returned her gaze back down at the invitation. "So they've set the date."

"Took them long enough. They should have gotten hitched earlier. It would have saved us the entire wait for something so inevitable."

Hinata nodded faintly. "I'm happy."

Kiba raised his eyebrows at her. "I heard you the first time."

Hinata blinked. "What?"

"That you're happy. I heard you the first time. Why is it you seem like you're trying to convince yourself?"

That struck a chord in her. She shook her head. "That's not true. It's just been a while since I've caught up with Shino and Chisato and, you know… "

"Nah, actually I _don't_ know." Kiba's hands rubbing Shio's tummy stopped instantly, causing the dog to whine. "Shino told me you've been avoiding him. For a while now, in fact."

Hinata was genuinely surprised. "Me? Avoid Shino? I'm not avoiding him. Did he tell you that?"

"Yeah. He said that since his engagement, you've stopped meeting up with him in the weekends."

Hinata furrowed her brow. Wasn't it the other way around? Ever since Shino's impending marriage was settled, he had stopped coming over. She had thought it was normal; seeing other women every weekend – even if they were his friends – wouldn't seem proper for a man spoken for. "I wasn't avoiding him."

Kiba smirked. "I'd have believed you one hundred percent, if you hadn't stopped sending me letters when I was away in the Hidden Stone. It was as if you'd cut me off completely. If it hadn't been for Shino, I wouldn't have known you've started teaching."

Hinata could only bite her lower lip. "I was busy."

"Yeah, I heard from almost everyone that you're always _busy_ lately."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah. Our batch hasn't seen you in almost all the public gatherings in the Leaf. Even Neji's told me you seldom visit your old man. What's up with that?"

Hinata dropped her hands to her side, the invitation still clamped weakly between her fingers. Her dad… She never really found the time to see him. Maybe there just wasn't a good enough excuse to come home just to get a long, long lecture about Hyuuga pride and so and so. "I was… I'm busy…"

Kiba was watching her intently, his nose twitching ever so slightly as if smelling the air around him and trying to be discreet about it. "Hinata."

"What?" she asked quickly, almost sharply as she wrapped her arms around herself self-consciously.

"You can't keep avoiding him forever."

Hinata felt her body shudder involuntarily, and she took a step back. She could have run away into her house had it not been for Koshio who had suddenly appeared behind her, pushing her back in place, as if telling her not to go. She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She knew exactly what he was talking about…

Kiba stood, impressing upon her how tall he had become. He took a step towards her. Koshio shoved Hinata forward with a low growl, and she had to dig her heels on the soft soil beneath her to keep from tumbling against Kiba. "You've changed since they got married. Everyone says so. I think they're right. You're different. You even smell different."

This had Hinata flushing. "I am not different and I don't _smell _different!"

Kiba shifted his weight from one foot to another, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah you do. You smell like a girl who's thinking she's lost everything life had to offer and is just whiling the days away by pretending that she's _just fine_."

Hinata gasped, unable to process what Kiba was trying to say to her. She did not think she deserved to be attacked like this, even if it was Kiba. She was shaking so bad now that she had unwittingly crumpled Shino's wedding invitation in a fist. Koshio seemed to have sensed unpleasant vibes from her and wisely distanced from her, slinking away hurriedly behind Kiba. The gesture angered Hinata even more. In front of her stood Kiba, Koshio behind him and Shio lounging in front of him and watching Hinata with lazy eyes. It was as if they were ganging up on her.

And she felt even more alone than she had ever felt since she had started taking care of the two pups. She took a deep breath and spoke with a shaky voice, "I'm not pretending. I _am _fine. This has nothing to do with…" She swallowed hard, then continued. "This has nothing to do with Naruto and Sakura. I'm happy for them. I really am."

"Oh, really? So the moment they got married, you moving out of your clan's compound was just a coincidence? So you just happened to suddenly be too _busy_ to see Shino or write letters to me?"

"That's – "

"Hinata. Stop pushing people away just because Naruto chose someone else. Everything is not about Naruto!"

"_Everything was about Naruto!"_ Hinata suddenly blurted out. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. She had said it. She let out a sharp gasp when Kiba grabbed her wrist and yanked the hand covering her mouth away from her face.

"Keep talking," Kiba hissed, his sharp eyes sparkling as he bore down on her, pulling her closer towards him.

Hinata pushed against his chest, suddenly feeling threatened. "I have nothing to say."

"I beg to differ," Kiba growled, his other hand slipping around her waist, as if to make sure she did not run away from him. "You shied away from your friends, your family, because you're afraid of having any contact whatsoever with Naruto, or Sakura for that matter. Why?"

Hinata tried to push him away. He was just too strong for her. "I don't even know why I have to tell you for you to know how much I've loved Naruto! It had been enough for me to just watch him from afar. I knew his feelings for Sakura then, and at one point in my life I thought I had prepared myself in case… in case this happened. But now I know that a hundred years couldn't have prepared me for this."

"He's just a guy. A guy among so many guys out there."

"He was more than that to me, Kiba. You know that…"

She was not kidding when she said Naruto had been her end all and be all. She had grown up under his influence, and in more ways than one, Naruto had been the only beacon she had during her soul-searching. That admiration had, at some point, turned into something more, and she had declared to him but once that she loved him.

It was a confession he had never really acknowledged.

She should have written it off then and there.

She did not realize tears had started pouring down her cheeks until Kiba had pulled her to him, crushing her against his chest so tight she thought her bones would break.

"You're an idiot," he muttered against her ear. "An idiot, damn it."

And Hinata believed him. Because it was true. No wonder Naruto never loved her back.

* * *

_A/N; Written because I've been reading fanfics that don't give the possibility of these two enough credit. I've always been a NaruHina fan because of Hinata's unconditional love for Naruto, and I just want her to have a break. But there had always been a bad nagging feeling at the back of my mind of the "What if Naruto didn't return her feelings?" theory. _

_I think I had always been rooting for Hinata more than NaruHina per se, and I do believe she deserves to find happiness, even if it isn't with Naruto. That said, this fanfic was born. This has been in my hard drive for a while now. I don't even know why I decided to upload it now. LOL…_

_Most probably going to be a two-shot or three-shot. I still have a couple of stories to finish, so I don't know when I'd be able to update. I guess depending on the demand, but I'm prioritizing my GaaIno story. _

_Anyway, stay tuned for an update… uh… sooon… XD_

_Ja!_


	2. Chapter 2

Fences

* * *

II

* * *

The wedding ceremony had been beautiful, if not sickeningly so. The bride had been clad in a stunning white kimono with detailed embroidery and impressive headset. Shino had been handsome in his dark haori-hakama, and if it weren't for his dark sunglasses, Hinata could have been thoroughly convinced.

She didn't know why she had bothered to come; she hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to Shino personally, and Shino was practically the only reason Kiba was able to throw at her that she was able to swallow.

"_He'd want you to be there. You owe him that much."_

"_Alright, already. I'll go."_

And the only one who was able to convince her to wear a proper dress had been Hanabi.

"_It's a formal engagement. You owe him that much."_

"_Alright, already. I'll wear one."_

Goodness…

"I've never liked Kiba," Hanabi was saying as she popped a dumpling into her mouth tactlessly. They were in the inner garden of the Aburame compound for the reception. The other guests were mingling in the larger Wa cloister in the compound, and Hanabi had taken the chance to swipe Hinata away from all the commotion.

Hinata wiped at her brow nervously for some non-existent sweat. "You never liked Shino, either. You were always very aloof with my friends," she pointed out as she leaned her elbows on the ledge of the small bridge that ran over the pond in the middle of that garden. It was peaceful. She had hoped to have peaceful conversations with Hanabi, but none that concerned… _everyone._

Hanabi frowned at her. "Your batch was infuriating. You have to admit that, at least. But that Kiba was… over the top. He's cocky, brash and he smelled funny."

Hinata shot her a wary glare. "Look, we don't have to talk about him if you hate him so much."

"Psh! I never said I hate him. I just said I never liked him."

As if there was a difference.

"But," Hanabi said, abandoning her plate at her feet and dusting her hands on her skirt. "When he showed up yesterday, looking oh so fine in that animal skin jacket, asking me to get you to come to the wedding in a dress, I think he may have redeemed himself in my eyes." She shrugged. "And the fact that he smelled fabulously of pine trees and mint made it all the better."

Hinata couldn't help but frown. Her baby sister had grown into a person she couldn't recognize anymore. But of course, she couldn't blame anyone but herself for that; perhaps if she had spent more time with her, she wouldn't have ended sounding like…

Like what? A normal girl?

"So when have you started actually smelling men?" Hinata asked her dryly, looking down at the pond beneath her feet.

Hanabi grinned. "And when have you started talking with an attitude?"

Hinata felt her face heat up. "I'm sorry… I-I'm just a little wound up."

Hanabi rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing." She hesitated a bit before reaching out to give Hinata a soft squeeze on the shoulder. "Attitude is good. It suits you. You should talk to father like that once in a while."

Hinata couldn't help but smile. She covered her mouth with a hand, decided not to say anything. Her sister was talking about attitude. She already knew the reason behind it. Their father was quite suffocating. It was just because Hanabi was more emotionally stronger than she to be able to put up a wall faster than Hinata was able to. Hanabi was twenty years old, and she already knew what she wanted.

Hinata was twenty-five. And she was lost as hell.

Hanabi rested her chin on Hinata's shoulder, sighing, her breath tickling Hinata's neck. "You moved out. I was lonely. For a while, at least. I just wish you'd visit more often. I've missed you."

Hinata bumped her temple against her sister's head. "I was – "

"Busy," Hanabi finished for her. "I know."

Hinata wrapped an arm around Hanabi's waist lightly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. We sisters, we don't need to apologize. We just naturally… understand. You know."

Hinata could only tighten her hold on her sister. "Yes, we do."

And they were silent after that. Comfortable silences were rare with Hanabi ever since they were young. It was the first time she had realized that such silences were something she would love to have more often in her life from now on.

"I love you, 'Nee. You know that."

Hinata closed her eyes slowly and she nodded. "I love you, too, Hana."

And that moment could have been perfect.

Until the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki was announced in the form of boisterous laughter and loud cheers.

Hinata's eyes snapped back open, and her heart was suddenly beating a mile a minute.

"Yo! Sorry we're late," she could hear Naruto saying from inside the Wa cloister, and her blood ran cold.

As if Hanabi had sensed her anxiety, her sister's arm tightened around her.

More laughter drifted out from the inside.

"Shino! Shino, congratulations!" came Sakura's cheery voice and Hinata stiffened.

"'Nee," Hanabi said warningly.

"You missed the ceremony, guys. It was enchanting," Ino said, her voice wavering because of a couple of drinks too many.

"'Nee," Hanabi once again said, this time with much more urgency. "Let's get out of here."

And she should have listened. Hanabi had always had the better instinct when it came to life-threatening situations. But Hinata was just too slow. And too late.

"Well, if you really must know. We were just at the hospital," Sakura continued.

Ino was already squealing excitedly. "Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Don't tell me – "

More giggling from Sakura. Naruto laughed. Hinata's heart skipped a beat and Hanabi's fingernails dug into Hinata's upper arm painfully.

"We're going to have a – "

Kiba suddenly materialized behind them, those huge hands of his were instantly on Hinata's ears, his chin resting comfortably on top of her head.

"Hey there, wallflower," Kiba said, his voice muffled by the hands he used to block out the roaring laughter and cheers coming from inside. He nodded at Hanabi. "I'm borrowing her for a while. Objections?"

Hanabi vigorously shook her head, and if anything looked incredibly grateful as she stepped away from them.

And the next thing happened even before she could say anything. The world around her disappeared in a swirl of smoke, and the inner garden vanished, along with the sounds of the many, many guests celebrating not only Shino's wedding but Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki's new addition to their family.

And all that was left for Hinata to sense were the hands on either side of her head and the smell of pine trees and mint surrounding her.

* * *

Hinata had always had a strange affinity with water. It was always a certain body of water that had the power to calm her nerves. And Kiba had always known this fact. This had been the case since they were young. She had always preferred training with a lake or pond or river nearby. And it was so much like Kiba to take her to the small lake within the forest right past Training Ground Twenty-Three.

Right now, she was standing waist-deep in cold water, her long dress floating around her like an eerie ghost. She did not know how long she had been standing there, looking down at her hands. They weren't shaking or anything, but she couldn't help but stare.

Naruto and Sakura were going to have a baby. And they were happy.

_Naruto_ was happy.

She smiled. She had always believed he deserved every bit of happiness this world could offer. She should know; she had been looking at him all this time, every tear he shed, every single attempt at being wanted and acknowledged and loved.

She should be happy for him. Deep down in her heart of hearts, she knew she shouldn't be anything but happy. But she wasn't. Negative emotions were the only thing filling her head. Jealousy. Frustration. Anger.

Jealous of Sakura.

Frustrated of herself.

Angry at everything else.

She had loved Naruto from the moment she thought she understood what love meant, and that was not saying much. She had started building her world around him without her realizing it. It was her fault that she had arbitrarily created whatever foundation she had of herself in his likeness, and her jealousy, her anger and her frustration were something she knew she had brought upon herself.

No one had told her to fall in love with Naruto, after all.

"Get out of the water, Hinata," Kiba called to her. He was sitting on the shore of the lake, his haori casually split open to reveal the formal kimono he was wearing for Shino's wedding, his hakama raised over to his knees, exposing his tabi-clad feet.

Hinata could only nod absently as she lowered her hands to her side, her fingers brushing the surface of the water lightly.

"Hinata," he called at her again.

"What?" she finally responded, turning around to face him. Her eyes met his. And he frowned at her.

"Get out of the fucking water," he repeated.

Hinata couldn't help but wince at his bad language and wrapped her arms around herself. She let out a hollow laugh "What is wrong with me?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me what's wrong with you? With _you_? Seriously?"

Hinata pursed her lips together tightly before wading her way through the water. She paused a few feet in front of Kiba, then spread her arms wide at her sides. "I'm a mess."

"Yes, you are," Kiba agreed. He shifted in his place, resting his elbow on his knees, his chin on his hand. "But you don't really care about that, do you?"

Hinata's arms dropped back down, and she found herself suddenly laughing out loud. Somewhere amidst the laughter she began to cry. She hated crying. Or better yet, she hated the feeling after crying. Swollen eyes, aching head, stuffy nose.

Kiba pushed himself up, dusted his bottom and approached her slowly. He reached out a hand of her. "Get over here. You're ruining your dress."

That was probably the most ridiculous thing that had ever passed Kiba's lips. Hinata knew he couldn't care any less for dresses. In any normal circumstance, she could have tried to point it out politely to him. Instead she could hardly think through her tears.

"Oh, for the love of… " Kiba muttered in annoyance, and Hinata heard water splashing as Kiba came in to get her. She could only allow him when he swept her off her feet and carried her off to shore.

Hinata clung to his haori, knowing – but not caring – that she was destroying the very expensive silk with many, many wrinkles and her tears.

"People," Kiba started quietly, his mouth pressed close against her ear. "are all sorts of crazy when it comes to their dreams. Naruto had been a dream. I think it's about time to wake up."

Hinata hiccupped against his shoulder. "I've always loved him. I think I still do…!"

"People fall in and fall out of love many times in their lives. That doesn't make you an exemption, so don't make it an excuse not to move on. You'll get over this. You've been through worse."

And she wanted to believe him; it would be a lot easier to believe him than pine away for a married, soon-to-be father. This was the exact reason why she had stayed away. She knew no good things would come out of seeing the people that connect her to Naruto. She wasn't ready yet. She didn't think she was ever going to be ready.

She felt herself being lowered, her back pressing against something – a tree or a boulder, she didn't quite know – and she instantly curled into herself, covering her face with her arms. She was starting to embarrass herself in front of her teammate. She wished Kiba had never come home. She wished he had just stayed away, then maybe he wouldn't have convinced Hanabi to pressure her to come to Shino's wedding. Then maybe –

"Hinata." Kiba crouched down on his haunches in front of her, grabbing her wrists gently and pulling them away from her face.

Hinata instantly looked away.

"Look at me," Kiba ordered, shaking her gently.

She shook her head.

Kiba cursed under his breath, letting her wrists go and placing both his palms on either of her cheeks. He forced her to look him in the eye. "Sooner or later, you're going to look back at his day and say to yourself, 'I cannot believe I actually cried over this.' But listen to me. It has to be _sooner_ than later. You're too absorbed on the _'what-could-have-been's'_ and missing out on the _'what-is'_. Shino's wedding. Naruto and Sakura's soon-to-be child. You're their friends, and you should be sharing their happiness. Instead you're throwing a tantrum!"

Kiba didn't have to tell her twice. She already knew she was being difficult and selfish and she knew she was acting like a child. She should be used to this kind of situation in her life. Things that mattered to her were usually taken from under her nose; her mother, her father's approval, her position as the Hyuuga heir. Why was she so surprised that Naruto had fallen in love with someone else? She should have written it off the moment Sakura and Naruto were assigned to the same team.

Hinata tried to pry Kiba's fingers away from her face, but the Inuzuka wouldn't let her go.

"You have to listen to me," he said in a low voice. "You will get over this. You will get over _him_. You will move on with your life, and you are going to look back at this moment and wonder how you could have been this stupid."

Hinata could have been easily convinced, had she known how to manage such a feat. "Losing something you never even tried to fight for is not easy to get over!" she blurted, finally managing to break away from Kiba's grip. "I knew from the very beginning I couldn't handle seeing them together, that's why I stayed away. And you come home like someone who couldn't give a care, making me take care of your puppies like some old lady! And now you're dragging me over fences that I've built around myself to prevent me from making a fool of myself!"

"You did not make a fool of yourself. But there aren't _fucking_ assurances if you won't do so in the future!" Kiba grabbed her on either shoulder, shook her roughly. "You can be bitter about it tomorrow. But _today_ is not your day. It's Shino's day. Okay? Can you at least do that? For me?"

Hinata hiccupped, thought what Kiba had said, then finally nodded. She wiped at her eyes, uncaring that she was most probably smearing her eye makeup across her face.

Kiba's grip relaxed and he patted her head gently. "That's a good girl."

And they were silent for a brief moment with Kiba sitting back on his behind, elbows resting on his knees. He was looking out into the lake, his hands playing with a small twig he had randomly plucked from the ground. She did not know how long they had sat there, with her letting out a sob once in a while. Kiba had been proper enough to save her whatever dignity she had left and made it a point not to look at her while she cried.

After a few eternities or so, when everything around them started getting a bit darker, Hinata said, "I'm sorry. I was out of line."

Kiba gave her a sidelong glance before shrugging. "I'm sorry, too. I know I should just let you move on along in your own pace instead of forcing you to do anything you're not ready to do. It was wrong of me."

He was being nice to her. She knew that she didn't deserve it. She wondered when she had started being so selfish. She sighed. "How do you forget about something like this? How do you move on when they're living in the same village as you?"

Kiba shifted his eyes away from her again. "Simple. You leave the village."

Hinata let out a gasp. She couldn't possibly leave Konoha. This was the only place she could imagine being. Surely going to other places might be exciting, but she knew herself well enough to know that she just couldn't stay away. Which was one big irony for her part because she had been staying away from everything ever since Naruto and Sakura married. She shook her head. "I can't do that. You know I can't do those kinds of things alone."

"I can take you. You can come with me," Kiba suddenly offered, his tone so low he could have been growling. "I'm still paying the rent for the house I lived in back in the Earth Country. Iwa's been nice to me in the two years of my stay, and their Hidden Village's very hospitable. We can go there. If you want to."

_If she wanted to._ She didn't even have to think about it. She knew she could never say yes. She shook her head again, lowering her chin to her chest. "I can't…"

Kiba was quiet, then he said, "Then there's another way to forget about Naruto."

Hinata blinked, raised her face to meet Kiba's wild gaze. She swallowed hard. "T-there is?"

"Yeah," Kiba said, his expression unreadable.

"Tell me," Hinata begged, her hand unconsciously reaching out to grab a chunk of sleeve from his haori.

Kiba sighed sadly, and at first Hinata thought he wasn't going to continue with their conversation. She was surprised when his hand suddenly shot forward, arms circling around her shoulders, fingers digging at the back of her head. And the next thing she knew, he had his mouth pressed firmly against hers in a very, very forceful kiss.

At first, she started to panic, and every time Hinata panicked she would start hyperventilating. Her own hands were suddenly planted onto Kiba's broad back, nails clawing at his haori, unable to take in air.

Kiba pulled away an inch. "Breathe," he commanded, once again pressing his lips onto hers, his tongue pushing its way to open her mouth. And Hinata's eyes shot open when she realized he was forcing air into her. Her lungs expanded, and she exhaled through her nose. Kiba pulled back again for a split second, took in a breath and kissed her again. This time Hinata willingly opened her mouth and accepted the life he was giving her. She felt her breathing relax and her heartbeat slowing down.

And she felt herself closing her eyes when she felt Kiba slanting his lips against hers, the kiss deepening. Hinata had never kissed anyone in her life; she had always imagined that her first kiss would be her last, and she had always thought that Naruto owned that. That was why when she felt Kiba's sharp canines nibbling at her lower lip, and his wet tongue tracing her straight upper teeth, she was surprised at how such an intimate gesture could awaken so many feelings in her that she did not know she had.

Her first kiss ended with Kiba pulling away from her again, his forehead touching hers. She could not meet his eyes in embarrassment, and she kept them lowered to her lap.

"Be mine," Kiba said quietly in that husky voice of his. It was the first time she had ever heard Kiba talk like that. "Be mine, and I swear I'll make you forget him. I'll make you forget him with her, and what they share. What do you say?"

Hinata licked her lips, still tasting him on her. She did not know what had gotten over her, but she found herself nodding.

Kiba paused, then said, "You're not going to regret this. I'll make you happy."

Hinata had no idea if this was how a man and a woman started dating, but she had the vaguest idea that she had just agreed to be Kiba's girlfriend. And although she was not a hundred percent sure if this was the right thing, a part of her said this was not completely wrong.

She buried her face against his shoulder, nodding again.


End file.
